# Daniel Dennett Daniel Dennett (1942–2024) was an American philosopher and cognitive scientist at Tufts University. A leading figure in [[Philosophy of Mind]], he defended a deflationary view of [[Consciousness]], arguing that [[Qualia]] are an illusion and that consciousness can be explained through "multiple drafts" of neural processing. His 1991 book *Consciousness Explained* challenged the idea of a unified conscious self. Dennett championed a naturalistic, evolutionarily-informed philosophy. He was known as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism alongside Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. His "intentional stance"—treating systems as if they have beliefs and desires—became influential in philosophy of mind and AI research. ## Key Contributions | Concept | Description | |---------|-------------| | **Multiple drafts model** | Consciousness as parallel processing | | **Intentional stance** | Explaining behavior via beliefs/desires | | **Heterophenomenology** | Third-person study of consciousness | ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Daniel Dennett]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/book AND [[Daniel Dennett]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## References - Dennett, D. (1991). *Consciousness Explained* - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Dennett ## Related - [[Philosophy of Mind]] - [[Consciousness]] - [[Qualia]] - [[Functionalism]] - [[Gilbert Ryle]]